The perfect rack!

[Sophia]

I need to put together a new core trad rock/alpine rack for WA/BC (Leavenworth, Squamish, Washington Pass, etc) more or less from scratch. If it's useful, I don't care how much it costs but I don't want to spend money on gear I won't use and generally prefer a lighter weight option all else being equal. Special pieces that would only be needed for particular climbs, I'll add later. So, what would be on your perfect rack if money wasn't an issue but waste and weight was and you were buying today. Appreciate specifics (so more than "a set of nuts, cams up to #3,...")

 

Thanks!!

[letsroll]

Double set of nuts. Double set of C3's. Double set of c4's to #4, one 5 and one 6. You don't take this on every climb, but this will give you everything you need to get up just about anything.

[Sophia]

Thanks for the quick reply! Not to hijack my own thread but are c3s generally preferred over TCUs and Aliens these days for small cams (I haven't bought new gear since before they were out.)

Edited August 7, 2009 by Sophia

[RuMR]

i don't think i'd ever say that c3's are "generally preferred" over metolius TCU's!!!!

[dberdinka]

Thanks for the quick reply! Not to hijack my own thread but are c3s generally preferred over TCUs and Aliens these days for small cams (I haven't bought new gear since before they were out.)

 

This question will generate 20 pages of BS before you can blink. Some people like Aliens, some people like TCUs and some people like C3s. Buy whatever you're comfortable with.

[RuMR]

ahhh just bolt it already....

[Off_White]

I pretty much put together a new rack over the course of last winter, and I've been pretty pleased with it. Pretty similar to the first response, but it's one set of c3 and one set of master cams, with just one set of WC stoppers plus some Rockcentrics I already had. The RP's, pink & red tricams, and three smallest Chouinard hexes never left the rack, but my mishmash of old cams are hanging up waiting for a trip to Indian Creek or some such things.

 

I've been happy enough with both the brands of small cams, but I've only ever had an amalgam of wired bliss tcu, hb quadcams, tech friends, one alien, and a few other bits as a small cam set, so as much as anything I'm appreciating having a cohesive set that spans a range of sizes.

 

Oh, a pile of new light biners and those skinny skinny slings are sweet additions too.

 

Its the perfect rack, mostly because its mine.

[superB]

quagmire likes where this thread is going..giggidy

[old 5.9]

How's this?

[denalidave]

I thought I would see some nice boobs with a thread title like this one...

[layton]

Here's my opinion for as long sustained cascasdes climb that you need an O/W piece for.

 

Nuts:

1 set of black diamond stoppers #3-#10

and extra #5,6,7,8

1 set of DMM aluminum offsets up to a #4 sized BD nut

 

2 Sets: 0.5-2 camalot

1 set: 3 and 4 camalot (i rarely bring anything bigger than a #3 unless the topo call for it or it's an F.A.)

1 #7 wild country flexible friend

 

2 sets: blue and yellow Metolius Master Cam

1 each: #0 (sometimes 2 of these), and Orange Mastaer Cam

 

Each cam on a Black Diamond Oz carabiner. Doulbe up cams for easier climbs.

 

Specialty Pieces:

Occasionally a brown, red, and pink Tri Cam

#3.5 camalot. No longer made, but very useful.

#6 BD camalot

#00 metolius master cam

A few random knifeblade/bugaboo and Angle pitons

Metolius 4 cam that is the size between a #1 and #2 camalot for the rare 1.5" splitter.

 

IMO, C3's don't hold their placements nearly as well as Master Cams and Aliens are no longer to be trusted. The #7 friend is lighter and less wobbly than the #6 BD camalot. Wild Country Zeros are too chincy except for the #1-3 but those are too small for anything but hard aid. Metolius Mastercams effectively replaced the TCU. The new DMM cams may be a good Camalot replacement, but hard to say yet.

 

 

Hope that helps

[lazyalpinist]

I think Layton gave you the best info so far. (Especially about C3s not holding their placements.)

 

I mostly agree with Layton, but prefer DMM or WC nuts to the BDs. (Don't know which is lighter.) And the DMM and WC standard nuts anodized colors match the colors on the DMM offsets.

 

I guess if money is no object, 2 sets of cams is a good idea. I usually make do with one set on most climbs and compliment with partner's pieces if we need doubles/triples. Of course, you could buy one set of C4s now, and wait for the DMM Dragons to arrive to have a set of doubles.

 

Also, I find if I bring a #4 C4, I'll find a place for it, but that doesn't make it worth always carrying, just worth owning. I usually pack it if a route says gear to 3-4".)

 

If I know there will be a lot of gear belays I bring tricams pink>brown as well. (But truthfully, I don't bring them that often, and place them even less it seems.)

[selkirk]

Pretty much what Layton said.

 

DMM nuts are the shit! I strongly prefer those over the BD.

 

If your just going with a single set of nuts i'd say get the DMM Alloy Offsets, filled in with DMM regular nuts in the medium sizes, and a handful of smaller DMM Brass Nuts or BD Offsets in the small sizes.

 

I also always throw in about 2 or 3 WC Curve Hexes taken from the top 4 sizes. They add some nice extra coverage in the hand sized and larger range, and quite often protect things where a cam or nut would be adequate but not as good (2 converging cracks come to mind).

 

What grade are you climbing at and will your partner have a rack?

An ideal rack for 5.4 / 5.5 IMHO is a whole lot lighter and thinner than an ideal rack for 5.9 / 5.10 and for me changes the gear mix.

 

For easier climbs I swap out nuts for tri-cams, and the 2nd set of TCU's/Master cams for nuts.

 

Good luck! and make sure you show us your rack when your done!

 

p.s. Jim Nelson at Pro Mountain Sports has what he considers to be an ideal starter rack up on the wall is a bit of a local lightweight and efficient guru.

 

 

[genepires]

if your aim is alpine rock, I usually throw in a set of 6 hexes and a couple tricams for the belays, so I don't need to use heavy cams for anchors. A set of cams weights a lot.

 

So my alpine rock rack would consist of

set of DMM nuts (full with a couple offsets)

set of cams (tcu purple to green, #2 and 3 camalot)

set of hexes (something like #5 to 9)

pink, red and brown tricam

loads of shoulder length slings (x10 with one biner on each), couple double length slings and a couple draws.

 

My choice of cams is only because that is what I got and it used to be light. Laytons choices in cams are superior beacause he is a gear whore.

[sobo]

Where do I get the cat? And in what kind of placements does it work best? Is a tabby better than a Maine Coon for off-widths? I have a seal point Himmy. Should I take him over the crazy tuxedo loozer that just shows up to eat and scratch the couch? Help...

[denalidave]

Where do I get the cat? And in what kind of placements does it work best? Is a tabby better than a Maine Coon for off-widths? I have a seal point Himmy. Should I take him over the crazy tuxedo loozer that just shows up to eat and scratch the couch? Help...

Sobo, you are so off track here... the cat is to carry the rack, not part of it. That is why you can have all the pieces you want and not worry about the extra weight. That thermarest pad all the gear and cat are sitting on is pretty pimp though.

[denalidave]

if your aim is alpine rock, I usually throw in a set of 6 hexes and a couple tricams for the belays, so I don't need to use heavy cams for anchors. A set of cams weights a lot.

 

So my alpine rock rack would consist of

set of DMM nuts (full with a couple offsets)

set of cams (tcu purple to green, #2 and 3 camalot)

set of hexes (something like #5 to 9)

pink, red and brown tricam

loads of shoulder length slings (x10 with one biner on each), couple double length slings and a couple draws.

 

My choice of cams is only because that is what I got and it used to be light. Laytons choices in cams are superior beacause he is a gear whore.

Plus you can bail on the hexes instead of the spendy cams... *cough*, not that I have ever bailed, *cough*

[marc_leclerc]

How's this?

 

thats a shitload of shit!

[superB]

hows the alpine rack gonna differ from a standard trad rack? putting together one myself. fixin to take on new hampshire cracks for the next 5 or so years. gawd it looks like it will indeed be spendy. love bumming but 'spose we all shall leave the nest.

 

[selkirk]

An alpine rack for moderate-to-easy terrain is usually a lighter and more focused on having just enough gear without having anything extra, and having a very general rack with a piece or two in each possible size range. I usually expect slightly longer runouts between pieces so I also don't carry quite as much.

 

When I think trad cragging its usually closer to my limit so I end carrying a rack that is more focused on the climb at hand, instead of a general rack. (if it's a finger crack I may leave the ground with nothing bigger than a #1 camalot, or if it's a hand crack I might leave behind the small nuts and the fist sized cams and hexes). I also end up with more sport style quick draws and single length slings, and no double length slings (unless I know I need one).

[sobo]

Sobo, you are so off track here... the cat is to carry the rack, not part of it. That is why you can have all the pieces you want and not worry about the extra weight. That thermarest pad all the gear and cat are sitting on is pretty pimp though.

So lemme get this straight... the cat carries the rack, or you carry the cat with the rack?? Is that why this thing is called a cat rack...??

[denalidave]

Sobo, you are so off track here... the cat is to carry the rack, not part of it. That is why you can have all the pieces you want and not worry about the extra weight. That thermarest pad all the gear and cat are sitting on is pretty pimp though.

So lemme get this straight... the cat carries the rack, or you carry the cat with the rack?? Is that why this thing is called a cat rack...??

Sobo, you seemed like a real smart guy but you just aint get'n it. Cats are great natural climbers, so the cat carries the gear for you, duh.

 

I have got to get one of those cat carriers though...

[superB]

im in no rush to buy this stuff and id like to shoot for the overall lowest cost so methinks what ill do is first buy a complete set of nuts (dmm waltnuts 1-10 for example). then piece together adequate sizes of cams whenever i see a deal and toss in other specialty pieces as needed. plan?

[sobo]

Sobo, ... you just aint get'n it.

Ain't it the truth...

 

8D NOT!!!1

[denalidave]

Sobo, ... you just aint get'n it.

Ain't it the truth...

 

8D NOT!!!1

That makes two of us! Spank u very much.